A deadly day in Egypt: Morsi supporters clash with civilians, soldiers

Supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi carry a man who was shot during a gun battle outside the Cairo headquarters of the Republican Guard on...

Mahmoud Khaled/AFP/Getty Images

Violence broke out in Egypt again as around 6,000 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood marched on the Republican Guard headquarters Friday, where deposed president Mohammed Morsi is thought to be being held, NBC News reports. The crowd demanded Morsi’s release.

Hundreds of people were being treated for injuries related to gunshot fire and at least 17 people were reported dead in clashes across the country, said Egypt’s Ministry of Health.

The U.S. State department issued a statement saying, “We condemn the violence that has taken place today in Egypt. We call on all Egyptian leaders to condemn the use of force and to prevent further violence among their supporters.”

The chief justice of Egypt’s high court was sworn in as the country’s interim head of state on Thursday just hours after the military seized power and removed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president, arrested him and suspended the constitution.

In a short, televised swearing-in ceremony, Adly Mansour, chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court, pledged new elections and praised the hundreds of thousands of protesters who had gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square for days calling for the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood-backed Mohammed Morsi.